Rotary engine.



No. 833,292. PATENTED 00T. 16, 190e. W. o. BLACKMUN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION kIILBI) JUNE 4,1906.

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PATENTED "00Tl 16 1905.

W. 0. BLA'CKMUN.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNs4,19oe.

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PATBNTED 0CT.16, 1906.

W. O. BLACKMUN. ROTARY ENGINE. ArPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 4.1906.

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WILLIAMv OLANDRO BLACKMUN, OF I-IAYS, KANSAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed June 4,1906. Serial No. 320,159.

T0 all whom it indy concern:

Be it known that I, WiLLiAM OLANDRO BLACKMUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hays city, in the county of Ellis and State of Kansas, have invented a new i and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its principal object to provide an engine of simple construction in which the steam or other fluid under pressure may be employed economically, provision being made for cutting off the'supply of steam after it has acted under direct pressure for any desired portion of its stroke and utilizing the expansive force of the fluid during the remainder of the stroke. 4

A still further object of the invention is to provide an engine of this class that is perfectly balanced, the force being equally distributed or divided at two diametrically opposite points.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an engine which may be readily reversed by inerely shifting the position of certain portions of the valve-operating mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an engine of this type with packing, which while preventing the escape of the steam or other actuating iiuid will be subj ected to but little frictional wear.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rotary engine constructed in accordance with theinvention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the engine on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the valve-chest on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several Jfigures of the drawings.

The engine-frame includes a base or sole plate 10 and a pair of vertically-disposed standards 11, the upper portions of which are provided with bearings for the reception of a transversely-disposed shaft 15. l

Secured to the base is a cylinder 13, said cylinder being in the form of an annulus and being circular in cross-section, its inner face or edge being provided with a continuous annular slot 19 for the passage of the piston The wheel or disk 2O is rigidly secured to the shaft, and on its periphery wheel or disk 20.

are two concentric rings 22 and 23, that are maintained in spaced relation by suitable connections-such, for instance, as spaced webs or flanges. These concentric rings are of a width slightly less than the width of the slot 19 and between them are arranged packing-rings 24, that are held outward in contact with the walls of the slot by springs 25, so that a steam-tight joint is formed.

Projecting from the periphery of the pistondisk are two diametrically-opposed arms 26, to which are secured piston-wings 27, circular in form and adapted to travel in the cylinder, and these istons are preferably provided with suitab e steam-tight packing-rings.

The cylinder is preferably formed of two sections, each approximately semicircular in form and connected by bolting-langes 30. At the flanged ends of the cylinder-sections are abutment-receiving chambers 31, that communicate with the end of the cylinder and are arranged for the reception of abutments 32, which may be moved completely across the cylinder or may be moved into the abutment-chamber in order to allow the free passage of the piston-wings. These abutments are provided with arms 33, that are mounted on rock-shafts 34. The rock-shafts extend vertically through suitable packingboxes and at their upper ends are provided with rocker-arms 35, which are connected by links 36 to levers 37, the latter being pivoted on studs 38, carried by one of the vertical standards 11 of the frame.

Mounted on the main shaft is a cam-disk 39, having a continuous cam-groove arranged for the reception of pins or antifriction-rollers 40, that are carried by the levers 37. The cam-groove is of such shape that the abutments 32 will be moved quickly out of the way of the projecting piston-wings and then quickly returned to position in order that the steam or other actuating fluid may enter between the abutments and wings.

At each side of the cylinder is a steam-chest IOO IOS

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43, that is connected to a steam-supply pipe 44, and from the chest leads an exhaust 45. Leading from the steam-chest to the cylinder are two ports 46 and 47 which communicate with the cylinder at points on opposite sides of the abutment, and steam may be admitted from the chest through either of the ports to either side of the abutment and freely exhaust from the opposite side of said abutments, in accordance with the direction in which the piston wheel or disk is to rotate. In each steam-chest is a D-valve 49, controlling the cylinder and exhaust ports, and said valve is adjustably connected to the inner end of a valve-stem 50. The outer ends of the valve-stems are connected to lockinglevers 51', that are mounted onstuds 5l, the inner ends of said levers being connected by rods 52 to eccentrics 53 on the main shaft of the engine. The studs 5l are carried by bellcrank levers 56, that are fulcrumed on pins 57, extending from the frame, and the approximately vertical arms of said bell-crank levers are connected by a link 59, and from one of them leads a reversing-rod 60, which may be moved in the direction of its length for the purpose of adjusting the valve-gear and changing the direction of rotation of the piston-Wing.

During the operation of the engine the cavity of the D-valve is constantly in communication with the exhaust-port and with one of the cylinder-ports, so that there is always a free escape for the steam in advance of the piston-wings. The opposite or second cylinder-port is under the control of the D-valve, and by proper adjustment of such valve steam may-be admitted during any desired portion of the stroke and may be cut off early -orlate and steam used expansively, if desired.

Each end of the valve is provided with ports, the upper port 46 being arranged to aline with the cylinder-port 46, while the lower port 47 may be moved opposite the cylinder-port 47. It will be seen that when the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 4 the lower end of the valve is above the port 47, so that steam will flow through the cylinder to act on one of the piston-wings. At" the end of a halfstroke the eccentric will have moved the valve-port 47 down into alinement with the port 47, so that another quantity of steam will be admitted to 'act upon the second piston-wing. When the engine is to be reversed, itis merely necessary to change the position of the valves by pulling or pushing on the reversing-rod 60. The D-valve then controls the admission of steam through the cylinder-port previously used for exhausting, While the other port is placed in communication with the exhaust.

I claim 1. In a rotary engine, an annular cylinder having a central open space and provided with a continuous annular slot extending through its inner wall, a shaft having bearings independent of the cylinder, a pistonwheel mounted on the shaft and provided with a pair of spaced concentric rings at its periphery, said rings extending through the slots, a pair of spring-pressed packing-rings arranged between the spaced rings and held in frictional contact with the walls of the slot, arms projecting from the periphery of the wheel, piston-wings carried by the arms, movable abutments, means for operating the same, and means for controlling the inlet and exhaust of an operating fluid.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder having a pair of diametricallyoppose-d abutment-receiving chamb ers,of pivotally-mounted abutments arranged within said chambers, and movable across the cylinder, rock-shafts carrying said abutments, rocker-arms on said shafts, a main shaft, a piston-wheel carried thereby and extending through the inner wall of the cylinder, a pair of piston-wings mounted on said wheel, a cam carried by the'4 main shaft, a pair of levers having projections operatedupon by the cam, and links connecting said levers to the rocker-arms. l

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder having an abutment-receiving recess, of an abutment, means for moving the abutment, a revoluble piston-wheel, a piston-wing carried thereby, a steam-chest, cylinder-ports connecting the steam-chest to the cylinder, an exhaust-port leading from the steam-chest, a D slide-valve arranged on the steam-chest and controlling the ports, a rocker-arm' to which the valve is connected, an eccentric, means for operating the rockerarm, and an adjustable support carrying said rocker-arm and movable to limit the position of the valve when the engine is to be reversed.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a frame, of a main shaft supported therel by, an annular cylinder carried by the frame and having a continuous annular slot through its inner wall, a piston-wheel mounted on the shaft and having its periphery extending through the slot, a pair of diametrically-opposed wings carried by the pistonwheel, a pair of diametrically-opposed abutment -receiving chambers communicating with the cylinder, abutments mounted in said chambers, rock-shafts carrying the abutments, rocker-arms on said shafts, a cam carried by the main shaft and connected to said rocker-arms, a pair of steam-chests in communication with the cylinder, slide-valves arranged in said chests, stems carrying the valves, rocking levers connected to the stems, eccentrics mounted on the main shafts and connected to the levers, and a pair of connected bell-crank levers forming adjustable supports for said rocking levers.

5. In a rotary engine, a cylinder, a revolu- IOO IIO

ble piston, a pair of piston-Wings carried thereby, a steam-chest, ports leading from the steam-chest to the cylinder7 an exhaustport also leading from the steam-chest, a lD- Valve controlling the ports, said Valve having near each end an auxiliary port through which steam is admitted to the cylinder, one end of the valve oontrollin the admission of tWo charges of steam during each revolu- Io tion of the engine in one direction and the opposite end ofthe Valve controlling the admission of tWo charges of steam during each revolution of the engine in the opposite direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature 15 in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM OLANDRO BIICKMUN. Witnesses:

GEO. PHILrP, Jr., B. C. ARNOLD. 

